This invention relates to a flexible protective cover for use on a bicycle while transported by a vehicle. The cover provides protection for the seat, handle bar portion and front fork portion of the bicycle from dust, bugs, grime, dirt and water while traveling. It provides a streamlined shape as a result of using a conforming stretchable material that extends from the seat, over the handle bars and down to the bottom of the front fork.
Typically, most bicycle riders do not cover their bicycles while transporting them on automobile roof carriers, trailers, bumper carriers or otherwise. With increasingly complex bicycle technology and consequent higher costs (in the thousands of dollars for professional racing bicycles) it becomes increasingly more important to protect the critical or sensitive bicycle parts from damage or soiling due to travel related contaminants.
To this end, a flexible protective cover for drive train elements of a bicycle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,416, issued on Dec. 30, 1986. This cover protects only the front drive sprocket, the chain and the rear sprocket and adjacent gear shift mechanisms. Alternatively, entire bicycle covers have been sold for a number of years which envelope the entirety of the bicycle. Such covers serve the purpose of protecting expensive bicycle parts from damage or soiling, but are intended for use only while the bicycle is being stored. They would present a serious problem if used when transporting a bicycle on top of a car, since cross-winds striking the large expanse of fabric would likely push the bicycle laterally, causing serious damage to the bicycle and/or the bicycle carrier.
Therefore, it is the purpose of this invention to provide a cover that protects the bicycle from airborne objects and contaminants while traveling at highway speeds, while not subjecting the bicycle to destabilizing lateral forces.